"We heard a
lot about torture cases and killings inside prisons, but they were
always justified. What is happening draws a big question mark to
where things are going."
Representative Hassan
Khreisheh, member of the monitoring committee and human rights. Quote
from "Al-Rissalah" newspaper, 27/8/1998 issue.
"How can
Palestinian security forces, who are supposed to protect our people,
be involved in such practices?"
Representative Dr. Kamal al-Sharafi,
head of the monitoring committee and human rights. Quote from
Al-Rissalah" newspaper, 27/8/1998 issue.
"We do not
want to be an alternative authority. All we want is fair and just
investigation. Therefore, the committee has the right to sit down
with prisoners and ask about their conditions, and whether they have
been exposed to torture or pressure."
Representative Hatem Abdul-Qader,
member of the monitoring committee and human rights. Quote from
"Al-Rissalah" newspaper, 14/5/1998 issue.
"The
Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) is a council that represents
the people. Its responsibilities and duties are to secure that the
law and the respect of human rights are being applied. From the
beginning, the PLC tried to obtain more authority over these rights,
but to no avail."
Former representative Dr. Heidar
Abdul Shafi. Quote from "Al-Quds" newspaper,
3/10/1997 issue.
"I would
like to say that arresting a citizen requires a series of measures.
His name needs to be put down in the detention file, and there
should be a legal reason to arrest him."
Jibril Rujub, head of the PSS in the
West Bank. Quote from "al-Khalij" newspaper in the United
Arab Emirates.
"There are
cunning attempts by people who claim to be defenders of human
rights. I want to stress that we are people who realize that our
first duty is to provide the security of the citizen and the nation.
Therefore, there is no need for inexcusable public provocation,
especially when we are fair and just while interrogating and
punishing persons."
Brigadier-General Amin al-Hindi, head
of the GI. Quote from "al-Rissalah" newspaper, 13/8/1998
issue.
Torturing Palestinian victims in PNA jails and
detention centers under the hands of the various Palestinian Security
Forces, has become a daily routine. Every prisoner has come to realize
the extreme danger of his detention. The phrase that has been
repeatedly said regarding a number of prisons in the Arab world, such
as Abu Za’abal prison in Egypt, al-Mazzeh prison in Syria, Abu
Ghareeb prison in Iraq, and other prisons in the other Arab countries,
is: “ whoever entered these prisons was considered lost, and whoever
came out of them alive was considered reborn.” This is a very common
phrase in the Arab world today.
The fight against torture in every way possible has
its own special day. Celebrating the fight against torture is
celebrated today worldwide on 26 June – United Nations International
Day in Support of Victims of Torture. This international invitation
for such a struggle does not seem to be received kindly by the PNA,
whose various security forces still use harsh physical and mental
pressure against detainees, whose confessions are taken by force.
The
Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG), did not write this report haphazardly or to build enmity
with the PNA. Rather, the PHRMG sees the importance in preserving
human dignity. After a long history of time, we have reached a point
where civilization is advancing tremendously. People play the most
important part in this civilization, and should therefore value all
humanity and the right of being.
This
report was written on the occasion of two events. The first is the
declaration released by the United Nations whereby the 26 of June of
every year is considered the international day for struggle against
torture, and defeating it through the various governments and
countries around the world. The second occasion is the fifth year
anniversary since the PNA took over parts of the West Bank and Gaza
Strip on 13 September 1993. The PHRMG is going to
continue its struggle to preserve the respect of human rights, and
reinforce the principles of law in the Palestinian society, in order
to build a pluralistic and open democratic society, where Palestinian
human rights are respected. The Palestinians have suffered long enough
from the violations committed by the oppressing Israeli occupation.
The
PHRMG sees the urgent need of pointing the spotlight at the
procedures used during interrogation, such as the torture, and
maltreatment of detainees in Palestinian detention centers. Violations
committed by Palestinians against their fellow compatriots in
detention need to be exposed. The PHRMG has
released many reports since its establishment in 1996, regarding this
issue. Many other organizations, both local and international, have
been concerned about this issue, and wrote about it as well. Amnesty
International and the Palestinian Independent Commission for
Citizens’ Rights are examples.
All these reports pointed out the widespread use of
torture in PNA prisons and detention centers. Many invitations and
letters have been sent to officials in the PNA, asking them to stop
torturing Palestinian detainees regardless of their charges and
political belonging, especially since many of these detainees fell
victims or became permanently handicapped because of this torture. The
last detainee who fell a victim in Palestinian detention areas was
Waleed Mahmoud al-Qawasmeh from Hebron. Al-Qawasmeh died on 9 August
1998, due to a fractued scull.
Most
countries around the world, including the PNA, adopted the many
international declarations that secure protection for detainees, and
not expose them to maltreatment and torture. Some of these
declarations were the universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948,
the Universal Declaration of Civil and Political Rights in 1966, and
the International Agreement for the Fight Against Torture in 1984. The
PHRMG has managed to collect testimonies
from 68 persons since the beginning of 1998. The victims wrote these
testimonies themselves, and they demonstrated that the use of torture
in Palestinian jails and detention centers is widespread, and that
there is an obvious violation to the many universal declarations that
prohibit the use of torture.
To
make a precise scientific picture, the PHRMG completely interpreted all the
information and documents it had collected in the form of reports, and
68 testimonies under oath.
It
is important to point out that our report does not include the
situation in detention and arrest areas. This we have discussed in
earlier reports released by the PHRMG in June 1997. What we are going to
demonstrate in this report is a summary on the policies used by the
security forces while interrogating and torturing Palestinian
detainees.
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